PolyU appoints Ms Zaha Hadid as Chief Architect of Innovation Tower
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has appointed world-renowned
architect Ms Zaha Hadid as Chief Architect of its new “Innovation Tower”.
Ms Hadid has made a trip from London to Hong Kong to present her design
concepts at a press conference hosted by Mr Victor Lo Chung-wing, Chairman of
PolyU Council; and Mr Alexander Tzang, Deputy President of PolyU.
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Addressing the press conference, Mr Victor Lo said PolyU’s new “Innovation
Tower” will serve as a driving force in the development of Hong Kong as a
design hub in Asia. The new Tower will also provide additional space to facilitate
inter-disciplinary research and education in the field of design.
The new Tower will be located at the northeast side of the university campus.
Construction work will begin in 2009 and the whole project is expected to be
completed by 2011. Upon completion, the Tower will provide some 12,000 square
metres of net floor area and able to accommodate more than 1,500 students. This
Tower will be the first permanent architectural design in Hong Kong by Ms
Hadid.
“I am delighted to be working in Hong Kong again. The city has such diversity
in its landscapes and history; this is reflected in an urbanism of layering and
porosity. Our own explorations and research into an architecture of seamless
fluidity follows this paradigm so evident in Hong Kong. One of our seminal
projects was designed for the city exactly 25 years ago, and the Innovation
Tower design is a realization of this continued research.” states Zaha Hadid.
“The Innovation Tower design dissolves the classic typology of the tower and
the podium into a seamless piece. The design unashamedly aims to stimulate a
vision of possibilities for the future whilst reflecting the history of the
institution.”
Zaha Hadid is one of the most influential figures in the world of modern
architecture. She is also the first female recipient of the coveted Pritzker
Architecture prize, which is known in architecture as the equivalent of the
Nobel Prize. She established her professional practice in London and her
architectural designs can be found in major cities around the world. These
include the BMW Central Building in Leipzig, Germany; the National Museum of
21st Century Arts in Rome; and the Olympics Aquatics Centre to be built in
London.
PolyU Deputy President Mr Alexander Tzang added that the University has gone
through stringent procedures in selecting Ms Hadid as Chief Architect of the
project. The University has appointed a 10-member selection panel to screen
some 48 submissions from local and overseas architectures and short-listed five
proposals, taking into consideration both technical feasibility of the project
and cost.
The new Tower will house the School of Design (SD) and support the development
of its specialisms, namely Environmental Design, Industrial and Product Design,
Visual Communication, Advertising as well as Digital Design. It will provide a
congenial environment to support SD staff and students in their pursuit of
excellence.
In this new “Innovation Tower”, there will be an advanced Car Design Studio;
Fashion Accessories Materials Labs; a Sound Studio for Multi-media and
Entertainment Design; a Museum to showcase local and international design
classics; and a public gallery to exhibit works of staff and students of SD as
well as local talents.
In Hong Kong, PolyU is the sole provider of design tertiary education and the
city’s most important hub of design education and development. In recent years,
SD has scaled new heights under the directorship of Prof. Lorraine Justice, who
was named as the world’s top 40 influential designers by the ID magazine in the
US.
SD has also made its mark, for two consecutive years since 2006, as one of the
top 60 design schools in the world, according to independent surveys of design
schools and design programmes conducted by BusinessWeek.
Design talents groomed by PolyU have won worldwide recognition and achieved
astounding successes with their creativity and innovations. Famous graduates of
SD include Oscar-winner and Supervising Animator for Shrek Mr Raman Hui,
founder of the jewellery brand Qeelin Mr Dennis Chan, and Partner of Kan &
Lau Design Consultants Mr Freeman Lau, to name but a few.
Innovation Tower, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Location Hong Kong, China
Date
2007 / TBC
Client
Hong Kong
Polytechnic
University
Status
Under Constuction
Architect
Zaha Hadid Architects
Design
Zaha Hadid Patrik Schumacher
Project Director
Woody K.T.Yao
Project Leader
Simon Yu
Project Team
Hinki Kong
Yang Jingwen
Jinqi Huang
Juan Liu
Bessie Tam
Competition Team
Hinki Kwong Melodie Leung Long Jiang Zhenjiang Guo Yang Jingwen Miron Mutyaba
Pavlos Xanthopoulus
Margarita Yordanova Valova
Consultants Local Architect
Agc Design Ltd Ad+Rg
Structural & Geotechnical
Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd
Building Services
Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd
Landscape Team
73 Hong Kong Ltd
Acoustic
Westwood Hong & Associates Ltd
Area/Size Net Occupied Floor Area
15,000Sqm Height 76 m
Capacity
1450
Budget
520,000,000 Hkd
Program Innovation Tower, School Of Design Development
